Why We All Need to be Educated Drivers

I do not have much experience in the driver’s seat, but I do know some bad experiences of people that are close to my father that got really hurt and even killed in an accident. My Uncle Gaston (he is still alive) was in an accident involving his motorcycle and a pickup truck. Gaston was waiting at an intersection and once the light turned green, he went as normal when suddenly, a pickup truck driver ran the red light and hit my uncle. The pickup was not going extremely fast but a hit on a motorcycle no matter what the speed can be fatal. My uncle only cut his leg and had an infection, but he is still fine today. I wish I could say the same about my dad’s friend Neryda, who was tragically killed a little over three years ago. Involving a pickup truck yet again, these drivers were under the influence of drugs instead of alcohol. They rammed into Neryda’s car and totaled it along with her and killed themselves as well.

My dad had lost a good friend and had to fear of losing his brother as well. While the drivers for both pickups were under the influence of different substances they were still driving while under the influence. I do not know how much driver’s education classes focus on DUI but this along with many other things that are factors in fatal car crashes needs to be emphasized in the class. Driver’s ed is just a good class, in general, to take if your school offers it. (Or so I have heard). You learn all the basics you need for driving, which is important to know since you should always know as much as you can when driving to prevent any unnecessary deaths on the road. It is also an easy A for the school transcripts, and you get lower insurance rates as well.

Some examples of steps that all people need to check off before starting to drive with confidence are just taking some driving classes. Whether it be at a public school or a private driving school, they all give useful information for driving. The driving classes will give you the basic knowledge to keep in mind when driving but everybody needs good practice. From what I have heard, most driving classes at public schools do not give much practice behind the wheel so driving with a parent or guardian is a terrific way to get some practice in too. Although some driving schools are all practice but not factual knowledge so everybody needs to get a good mix of both to be a successful and educated driver. Another step that everyone should check off before getting on the road is making sure to not be under the influence of anything. Going back to my examples of the crashes I mentioned earlier, both were all because of drugs or alcohol. Nobody should ever be doing drugs and while alcohol is fine if people are responsible, none of them should mix with the road. The minute people mix drugs and alcohol they are signing a death contract, either being themselves or other drivers. The last step people need to keep in place before getting on the road is their emotions. I have heard that if you have a strong emotion when getting on the road it can influence your driving. Anger is the biggest emotion you should not have when driving. When people get angry, they might just take their anger out on their fellow drivers. There is a reason the term “road rage” exists. Another emotion is sadness. When a driver is sad, they might be focusing on what (or who) is making them sad. If they focus more on that driving, they might just crash into someone and may kill someone too. Nobody wants that whatsoever.

Some steps I know I can take to become an educated driver is to learn all that I can about driving. This essay has made me question and reflect on how much I know about driving and I do not feel like I know that much. While it is scary for me to hear about people and the fatal crashes they have been in, it is still a good opportunity to gain experience from their mistakes so that I will not make them. I have recently gotten my permit which is good which means I can get more practice with my folks which will only improve my ability to be a safe driver. If I can mix these and the other steps I mentioned above, I think I can be a great driver. Once I do that, I know that I will be able to help others out too and we can, just maybe, all save a life.